Philosophy

I couldn't find a topic on philosophy, so I started one.

Do you like philosophy? Is it useful today? What are you favourite philosophers?

Go!

Of course I do. I'm very much into the eastern ones. But some of the ancient Greeks said some pretty good things.

I have often repented speaking, but never of holding my tongue.

Xenocrates

I don't know much about eastern ones. I have read alot of classic european philosophy, both in school and on my spare time. I am very focused on metaphysics and epistemology.

At the core I am a nihilist; I believe there is no objective meaning/truth to existence other than what we make up in our consciousness (hard to spell that word!). I try hard to justify believing in a reality outside my mind, but it's not easy

I think, therefore I am is the only solid ground we can stand on (in my opinion).

See, I don't know many European philosphers. I follow Eastern beliefs. Which is likely the reason why I know more with the Eastern ones.

I'm not sure how I would classifly. When it comes to knowledge I agree with empiricism. I find that have learn much through life by hand on experience.

I do have epistemological views. But I'm still rather new to this area. So I'm not ready to say I'm one thing and then find something I will agree with more.

I don't like the labels in philosophy, even though I use them. There are soooo many categories, sub-categories etc.

I don't know much about eastern philosophy, but I know that buddhism has a way of life that I like alot. Improving yourself with inner journeys instead of pushing your faith down people's throats (like Christianity and Islam do).

There are too many labels to everything. Look at metal for example. But I too use them.

Buddhism is what I follow. And I know what you mean. I have grandparents who are Baptist. And they are very faithful with it. And they seem to have the much problems with life. Because anything that don't fall in their beliefs they fight about. And then myself for a exmple. I spend more time accomplishing what I want. Because I don't make my beliefs a crusade.

Uh uh, that’s a topic for me! . I’m student in philosophy and if all goes right (I mean if I pass my exams), in two years, I will be a philosophy teacher.

I love philosophy: I think it is useful today, first because it can allow us to find a meaning and a purpose on life (maybe it’s near from the religion, in some way, at the difference that it gives a way of life, not only meaning I guess). The second point is that philosophy is important because it can help us to find how to conduct our lives in order to be happy. But philosophy can be useful not only for personal reasons, but also because it helps the community as it asks some good questions on bioethics, on politics, on the way that people should work and live together to be happy.

I’m not fond of epistemology but I think I’m a skeptic (I say “I think” because I’m never really sure about what I am because I love so many philosophers and ways of thinking that it’s hard to stop and say “I’m strictly this or this”), that’s to say people who thinks that we cannot reach the truth and so that we have to suspending judgment on things we cannot know. If I’m attracted by skepticism, it's also because there is something I really dislike: this is dogmatism, that’s to say people who think that they managed to reach the truth and that this truth is the only one because then they need to spread it all over there. I think it’s a way that leads to obscurantism and fundamentalism (yeah, there are a lot of words in –ism ) because people who think like that are authoritative, they don’t want to be disputed instead in fact I believe that all our “truths” are just “beliefs” and that we can always doubt of them.

But, I’m fond of ethics and bioethics (in my university degree, we have to make researches and I’m working on the consequences of the cloning, with the question” is it ethically correct to clone, and why or why not?). I do love bioethics because it’s linked to various other sciences, like politics, laws, biotechnologies, medicine… and sometimes science fiction.

My favorite philosophers are the ancient Greeks because they used to live their philosophy (and they talked about freedom, nature, hope and despair but in a very poetic way, with a lot of various examples that are sometimes very funny) . Today, we make philosophy and at the same time, we conduct our life without taking care about what philosophy learnt to us. Contemporaries’ philosophers are annoying from my point of view (of course, they are exceptions but in general, this is my feeling).

Two quotes from two ancient philosophers (one Greek and one Latin)

Epictetus: "If, therefore, any be unhappy, let him remember that he is unhappy by reason of himself alone."

Marcus Aurelius : "Everything is right for me, which is right for you, O Universe. Nothing for me is too early or too late, which comes in due time for you. Everything is fruit to me which your seasons bring, O Nature. From you are all things, in you are all things, to you all things return."

Man you know your stuff! Can you fully explain epistemology?

Epistemology is the study of knowledge, about how we can know things. It includes empiricism, which you meantioned.

Well see I know that. And I know the basics of it. But I would more in depth information. Every time I research this stuff, I can never find a good website.

Here is a very good article (much better than wikipedia), and it covers the basics and comes with further reading suggestions. I really recommend epistemology, I love it

http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/epistemology/

Thank you!
I will read study it. And then be back to discuss this fully.

Here are some nice videos on the subject. It's put in the context of atheism, burden of proof etc.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LJ7cS7io4Q

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJUisM6q_DM

I am thinking about taking an education in philosophy. The only thing that blocks my vision is a good job; how can you make a decent living as a philosopher?

According to some guides I've read, most students of philsophy either becomes teachers or some sort of cultural worker. I don't want that... I want to write books and expose my ideas in the public. I would like to teach eventually, but somehow I feel like I need more experience and insight.

Labirinthya: Do you think it's easy to get an OK career with a degree (Master) in philosophy?

As a philosopher, I think it's very hard, and only few people manage to do it. The easier way to do it is to write for a university, because only the university can find you some subventions (but in compensation, you have to give some lessons at university).
There are just few works after philosophy studies, but when I started philosophy; it was because I thought I could work as a cultural worker, in an embassy or something like that, to establish cultural links between countries, but it’s very hard because philosophy is not enough. To do it, I should have done law studies instead/in addition with philosophy. Then, as I discover bioethics and that I’m now passionate of it, I thought about working in the ethics commissions in the hospitals, but to do it, again, I should have done medicine sciences & philosophy… so, the last choice I had was teaching. (it’s not maybe the last choice, but the easiest for me).
To write books and expose your ideas, you have to do a philosophy license (3 years), then a master degree (2 years), and then, a doctorate (3 years) where you develop your own ideas, you own thesis on a matter. But it’s very hard, because first it’s long (8 years of studying in all, I’m actually at 5 and it’s start to be boring, but it’s just my feeling, because I really want to enter in the active life with a job, and not to be a student for again 3 years) then because there are not a lot of subventions (but maybe it’s just in my country), and then, because in PHD, in some university (not mine, hopefully), there is competition between students.

With the master, now, you can only teach. You can write books just with a master degree but you will not have a lot of credibility, you have to pass PHD degree, to be a “doctor in philosophy”, and then, you could write books. It’s not impossible if you have the will but it’s a lot of hard and long work.

If you have other questions, don't hesit !


PS : with philosophy studies, a lot of people are now librarian, archivist, or works in the newspapers like publsiher because tehre are school to do it with philosophy.

Thank you! That helped alot!

I actually know someone who was getting their degree in Journalism and she just switched this semester to philosophy. I think it's rather risky. In our area the only thing you can do with that is teach.

Most social studes are risky, I think. The maintenance guy in our school has a Bachelor Degree in Religious Studies.

Oh wow. Up until a few months ago I was going to get my degree in experimental psychology But I soon discover dispute popular belief I would make very little money.

Yeah. I have decided not pursue philosophy as a career, mostly because it's hard to make it as a professional. I won't post what I intend to do instead (it would be off-topic). I'll study it on my own though

But now I wanna know what you plan on doing.

Alright I'll hopefully get a bachelor (eventuall master) in Geo-science (specifically geology or geophysics), biology or chemistry. I think all three are interesting, and I can handle the math we are required to know there.

Oh, wow. What kinda of jobs can you do with that? Don't worry after this I will get back on topic. I just never known anyone to do something within that area. So it's new to me.

Research, either private or within a university. As a geogolist, I can job with oil companies (although I am against drilling) or securing mountainsides, working archeologists on digging sites. Biology is more limited, you can still research, but it's not as much attention to it. Of course you can teach in all these as well

I need help!!

I work on bioethics, and I have a work to do about what people commonly think about human cloning. I used the misconceptions of science-fictions movies, but now, I would love to know what you think about that. Before, I had my own theory about that and I thought it was a really bad thing for a lot of different reasons, that are used nearly all the time, like human who shouldn’t play to god, etc... But recently, I read a book of an American guy who is pro-human-cloning, who wrote against other American philosophers, those who are against human cloning and that guy explained in his book that people who thought what I used to think had only misconceptions or preconceived ideas. He took all the arguments that people usually put against human cloning and he destroyed them all. At the end of the reading of the book, we realize that he leads us to accept that cloning is not such a bad thing (and his arguments are so true, strong and logic that we nearly cannot object him anything).

So he destroyed all my arguments (I needed to read his book which was not translated in French, so I had to read it in English, and it was not very difficult because this guy explains all his views in a simply and humorously way. He is also a lot provocative, so it's not boring at all to read and now, I think I think nearly like him ).

Well, the fact is that I’m still thinking that there is something wrong in human cloning, but I don’t really know why anymore because I don’t have any true arguments now.


So I would love to know: are you pro-human cloning or against human cloning? Why? What are your thoughts on that matter?

Thanks a lot in advance for your answers !